Tag Archives: Staten Island

2024 – A Year in Review

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While I spent a good part of 2023 working several jobs to help pay for my son’s college, my focus in 2024 was to provide more balance in my life between work and fun and interesting activities. I also tried to focus on working more gigs as a background actor.

In January, the theme in my school was ‘clothing’. Since my daughter knows how to sew, I invited her to my preschool class as a special guest and showed my students how to sew.

I was a stand-in for a card dealer on a TV show called The Equalizer starring Queen Latifah.

After I picked up my son in Ithaca from a ski trip at Mount Tremblant in Canada, we decided to visit my cousin Jeff’s pizzeria Cheesy Charlie in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

In February, I had the privilege of being invited to the NYRR’s Club Night Awards Ceremony. There, I got to see my good friend Will Sanchez receive the highly-coveted Joe Kleinerman Award for his many years of producing and hosting the show Gotta Run With Will. In 10 years, Will has interviewed more than 300 runners with special stories to tell that were inspiring, historical, and intriguing. The photo below features previous special guests on Will’s show including Nicoletta Narangis, Ruth Gursky, and Michael Ring. Seated is George Hirsch who is Chairman Emeritus of the NYRR. My arm is around Monika, Will’s wife.

I worked a background gig in New Jersey portraying a ‘jogger’ in a park in a night scene that featured Billy Crystal. Unfortunately, I was not used due to too many joggers being hired for that scene, but I did get paid and fed that day, so there’s that.

In March, I proudly saw my brother Aaron being inducted as an official member of the Polar Bear Club. He had spent the season participating in many plunges with the Polar Bears and this qualified him to be official.

My friend and fellow runner Amy Padnani, a reporter who works at the Obituaries Desk for the New York Times, created an amazing feature called Overlooked. In this series, noteworthy people throughout the history of the NY Times who may have not received a proper obituary or any mention at all are given a proper send-off of the accomplishments they made throughout their lives. Many of these figures were either female, members of minority groups, or the LGBTQ community, and due to sexism, racism, and homophobia, their stories were not considered important at the time. I had the pleasure of interviewing Amy for an episode of Gotta Run With Will. She was promoting her book called Overlooked: A Celebration of Remarkable, Underappreciated People Who Broke the Rules and Changed the World. Reading her book to prepare for the interview was a great experience for me. The episode can be viewed by clicking here.

Both my daughter and my brother’s daughter are named Emma Pesin. Both are very creative and get along with each other fabulously. I am so glad that these two cousins collaborate on many fun and creative projects together.

In April, I was invited by Will Sanchez to attend a film screening for the documentary, “Photographic Justice, the Corky Lee Story”. It was a gripping documentary about Corky Lee, an Asian-American photographer who bravely took thousands of photos throughout several decades that illustrated the Asian experience in America. His photos helped to change public opinion as well as create policies that helped the Asian American community. The photo below features me posing with Philippe Day and Corky’s partner Karen Zhou with Will Sanchez to the right.

I was hired to portray a skier in a ski lodge scene for the film TOW. The ski lodge was really a golf house. We had to act like it was the middle of winter. Meanwhile, the temperature was 85 degrees outside.

I did a book signing in a Dyker Heights cafe. It was a great surprise to find that one of my customers was my son’s kindergarten teacher. I told her how great he was doing at Cornell University. He’s come a long way from being a problem child in kindergarten.

I celebrated Mother’s Day in May with my mom and brother Aaron in Coney Island. My mom loves Coney Island and we enjoyed our time together there at Nathan’s Famous.

I’ve been the assistant secretary for Neighborhood Advisory Board (NAB) 11 for the past few years. Members of NAB help decide how NAB-approved Federal and State agency money should be spent based on the needs of our community.  Approved projects may benefit the elderly, immigrants, our youth, the physical wellness of community members, public safety, education, and other community needs. In May, members of all NAB groups throughout New York City met in Manhattan for a party to celebrate our accomplishments.

When my school year ended in June, I decided to finally participate in the Coney Island Mermaid Parade after years of talking myself out of it. The parade does have a nautical theme, so I thought that wearing my special shark shirt would make me fit right in. I had no idea what to expect and was pleasantly surprised to hear so many spectators cheer me on as I marched with pirates, jellyfish, mermaids, and other people dressed according to the theme. Even a photographer from the Daily News took my picture and published it in the paper!

I spent Father’s Day with my daughter and father at his home in Leonia, New Jersey.

I worked a two-day overnight gig where I portrayed an onlooker to a car explosion that happened in a hotel parking lot. First, they filmed the explosion, then later, they filmed the car on fire as I and other onlookers watched the explosion while on camera. It was interesting to see actual firefighters put out the fire every time the camera stopped rolling.

Being a preschool teacher for 23 years now, I was very happy to find out that one of my former students is a full-grown adult and now loves to run. Yes, Patryk was only four years old when he entered my class and now he’s 24. We met up several times in the summer to run together at Clove Lakes Park in Staten Island. His dream is to one day run the NYC Marathon. I hope that I can help him.

July had both happiness and sadness for me. My uncle Marty passed away on July 17 after being sick in a military home for a long time. He inspired me to take up running when I was 13 years old after I witnessed him complete the 1980 NYC Marathon. He also motivated me to take up skiing and travel cross-country and I still do those things. My memories of Marty can be found here.

After many attempts at applying, in July, my son Hunter was accepted to be a research assistant for a professor at the University of West Virginia. He spent several weeks staying at a dorm there while getting paid a very nice weekly stipend. His time ended with a presentation of his research at an Undergraduate Research Symposium. While there, we visited the famous Falling Water house designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in Central Pennsylvania.

In August, I held a book signing at a cafe in Park Slope, Brooklyn. I invited fellow author Eric Maldonado who had just published his book called Service (The Last Days Saga). Just two years ago, Eric came to my book signing at a cafe in New Jersey and purchased my book. It was exciting for me to be a fellow author with him at this event.

Before I dropped off my son for his third year at college, he wanted us to go on a trip to the Adirondacks. It was a long drive, but definitely worth it. We visited Lake Placid and went on hikes in the local mountains there. We visited Seneca Falls, which was the town that inspired Frank Capra to write the screenplay for It’s A Wonderful Life. It was such a thrill to be able to walk across the bridge that was featured in the film. There’s a true story about a man who lost his life saving a woman who jumped off of that bridge. That story provided the inspiration for the film. Seneca Falls was also the birthplace of the first meeting of the Woman’s Suffrage Movement.

Sadly, my friend Mark Vogt had succumbed to a catastrophic stroke in July. It took his family a week to decide to unplug his life support knowing that Mark would never come out of the coma he was in. Originally, I met Mark as we were fellow runners for the Staten Island Athletic Club. As avid runners, actors, and writers, we were both inseparable at times. We were involved in many adventure races and creative projects together. You can read my online memorial about what Mark meant to me here. There, you can see many photos and some videos we collaborated on together.

Before summer’s end, my brother Aaron and I got to hang out with our distant relative Mindy Passin Mentzel and her friend and fellow runner Kinga Tzach.

In September, I got hired along with my actor friend Pierre Candra to portray beachgoers for the new Adam Sandler film, Happy Gilmore 2. Within 15 minutes of being set up on the beach with other actors portraying beachgoers, we were removed from the beach. Production decided that they didn’t want people on the beach for the scene. I still got paid though.

After donating blood several times, I finally became a member of The Gallon Club. Members are those who have donated a gallon of their blood over time. I would like to thank Ryan John Knutsen and Michael Schnall for being role models for me. I used to faint when giving blood. I am proud that I have overcome that and I now donate blood about four times a year.

My brother and I participated in Artmageddon, an amazing art event that takes place throughout the community of Ditmas Park, Brooklyn. While I was signing my books for customers, my brother made balloon animals dressed as Happy the Clown. It was a great time for both of us.

My cousin Danielle Pesin got married to Joseph Weiler on top of a mountain in New Jersey. Guests had to take a chair lift to the top to attend the ceremony. It was a beautiful event seeing the bride and groom exchange their vows with views of a sprawling valley below them.

I participated in a 5k race that benefitted the Guild for Exceptional Children. Our CEO Joe Riley was instrumental in making this event happen. Joe cares so much about the special population at our school and is always looking for new fundraising activities to help support the special programs. Pictured below are Joe and myself with the couple who collects new toys from various organizations. These toys are given out by Santa to all the preschool children in my school for the holidays.

I was again hired to be in Adam Sandler’s Happy Gilmore 2, but this time as a cop. I waited in holding all day with a few other actors portraying cops. They never used us, but we were still paid.

Below is yet another fun picture of the two Emma Pesins, this time they are dressed to celebrate Halloween together.

In November, I participated in the Second Annual Great Gobbler 6-Hour Mountain Bike Race. I decided to stop riding after completing two 13-mile loops and I’m glad that I did. I am getting older and these kinds of events are taking a toll on my body. Pictured below is me with Steve Lee and Michael Varriano. They are runners like me who are not afraid to engage in other non-running events.

I brought my kids to visit Clinton, New Jersey to take photos of them for our holiday card. The photo below was the winner.

My kids and I visited my dad for Thanksgiving at his home in Leonia, New Jersey.

I completed my sixth year as a part-time pacer for the Mile High Run Club. Even though it doesn’t pay much, it’s such a pleasure to use my running ability to help others achieve their marathon dreams.

A runner from Uganda emailed Dave Panza, the President of my Staten Island running club. He told David that he was going to be visiting Staten Island for a few days and if he knew anyone who could let him stay overnight. David forwarded the email to me asking me if I had any ideas on how we can help Noel Thomas Kalunda, a man who created the non-profit schoolsnotstreets.org. This organization helps get children off the streets by helping them get boarding and an education. I asked Bob Orazem, a lifelong runner from Staten Island if he could help me find Noel a place to stay. Bob immediately offered his home to Noel, which was such a gracious move. It was such a great feeling that I was able to make this connection between Bob and Noel. I was able to invite Noel to a group trail run with the Ridge Runners in the Staten Island Greenbelt. In the photo below at the right, I am flanked by Noel and Bob.

One Friday in December, I was sick and had slept for over 10 hours. I suddenly got up to walk, which affected my blood flow. I quickly grew faint and grabbed a heavy chair thinking that it would somehow prevent me from falling. Instead, I still fell, but had brought the chair down towards me as I fell. The chair hit me in the head above my eye. I felt very dizzy and got scared. I called the ambulance for myself to make sure that I was alright. After being tested and passing all tests, I was sent home. I was left with an achy head and a black eye. After two weeks, my eye was healing well.

My year ended by receiving a surprise package of Kona coffee, chocolate-covered macadamias, and pineapple candies that came from my cousin Andrew Zeitlin in Hawaii. What a nice surprise and a great way to end 2024.

The Great Gobbler 6-Hour Mountain Bike Race

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As a lifelong runner for 42 years, I had a lot of trepidation about signing up for The Great Gobbler 6-Hour Bike Race, an inaugural event that was held at Freshkills Park, Staten Island, on November 19, 2023. I felt like an imposter who was posing as a mountain biker. However, the lure of a new challenge was just too strong to appeal to the sleeping badass in me and many great things about this event made me want to join the Dark Side and jump into the ring.

When I arrived at the event area via the newly completed North Park section of Freshkills Park, I entered a very welcoming world of mountain bikers, volunteers, and VIPs who were responsible for making the event happen. There was a strong atmosphere of camaraderie, which calmed my nerves. I needed my nerves calmed. Besides not having much mountain bike experience, I had to use my old Cannondale bike, which dates back 33 years to 1990. This mountain bike was old school; there were no shocks whatsoever, so whatever bumps I hit along the race course, my own body had to absorb the shock. My other mountain bike, a 15-year-old GIANT, had a shock absorption system, but that bike was not functional at the moment. I did not let this stop me from participating. My 33-year-old emerald green Cannondale became my dependable Millennium Falcon for this event.

Fitting my bike with the bib number

Since I was scared shitless participating in a sport that I believed I was ill-prepared for, I used a few strategies to help me lessen the fear. Being that each loop along the course was 8.75 miles, I set a realistic goal of riding one loop per hour for a total of 52.5 miles. I made a paper pace counter and attached it to the center of my bike handle so that I could focus on it throughout the race. Additionally, I approached this whole experience as a science experiment. I wanted to see how a lifelong runner who has run nine marathons, many half marathons, and thousands of miles would fare in a mountain bike race. The plus side was that runners are very goal-oriented and have a lot of perseverance in long-distance events. The minus side is that different leg muscles are used for each respective sport. Whereas runners predominantly use their calves, cyclists mostly use their quadriceps. Another minus for me was that my real cycling gloves were destroyed and I had to use construction gloves for this event. With no padding inside, this proved to be painful for my hands as the hours wore on.

The event had several waves depending on the type of bike one was using. First to go out were the adaptive handcycles, then the gravel bikes. The final wave, the mountain bike division (my wave), was next. After race director and event extraordinaire Matt Lebow shouted, “Get some!!!”, we were off and riding! A group of about 30 mountain bikers barreled out of the starting line officially beginning the race. I was somewhere in the middle. We went up a small hill, then down a much bigger one. Everyone sped down it to take advantage of gravity. At this moment, I decided that I would immediately take focus away from my competitors and spend the next six hours strictly working on my own goal of six laps. I slowed down to preserve my body for the next six hours so that I could achieve this goal.

Feelings of constant excitement and awe were going on in my mind as I traversed the hills and valleys of the first loop. There was the excitement of riding on top of what was once the site of the world’s largest landfill. Freshkills took 22 years to be reclaimed into an amazing world-class park sprawling with hills, valleys, marshes, and wildlife. I experienced the awe of reaching the top of these hills to discover breathtaking views of the Manhattan skyline and the Bayonne Bridge.

The best description I can give for riding at Freshkills would be a roller coaster ride with many inclines, turns, and dropoffs, but in this case, the “tracks” that the roller coaster was riding on were completely natural. This was a roller coaster with spectacular views at the top, but where nature ruled.

I completed the first loop after passing over the timing strip at the start line with a time of 46:17, and I was stoked! I was killing my goal of one hour per loop. I had plenty of gas in my tank and I couldn’t wait to begin my second loop.

I completed my second loop with a time of 50:50; still way ahead of my pace goal. I originally planned to stop here for a rest break, but I was a man on a mission and my adrenaline level was high, so I continued onward to begin my third loop. A bunch of my friends who were resting on the sidelines started cheering for me. This was a big psychological boost and it made me feel more accepted into the mountain biking community at this point.

Throughout this race, a few other mountain bikers passed me, which was fine with me. I came across the one biker who was competing in the adaptive bike division. Sometimes, I passed her and sometimes she passed me. It was a great feeling to be a part of an event that included physically challenged cyclists. The mountain bike she used was specially made by an organization called the Mjolnir Project. Usually, these kinds of bikes can cost as much as $14,000. This organization uses 3D printing technology to bring the price down to $2,000.

I rode side-by-side with a participant from the adaptive bike division.

I completed my third loop with a time of 54:23! Still faster than pace. At this point, I realized that I had already burned so many calories and would continue to do so if I proceeded onto the fourth loop. I knew that I could not continue riding this way since my body was burning calories at a very fast rate and needed the energy to go on. I forced myself to stop and then wolfed down a few slices of pizza that were available for all the participants. I also ate an energy bar. In all, I must have taken a 15-18-minute break, but it was well worth it solely for the calorie loading.

After finishing my fourth loop, my finish time was 1:12:34, which was fine with me since I needed that extra time previously for the food break. Again, I rode by my still cheering friends which energized me to begin loop number five.

Loop number five was completed in 1:05:25. It was one of my slowest loops without a food break, but so what, I’m still within my goal of completing six loops by the six-hour mark. My tiredness was definitely beginning to show.

I was so tired that I just had to stop and catch my breath after crossing the timing strip for my fifth loop. I rested near my friends who had long stopped competing due to the physical challenges of the course. I was so out of breath that I couldn’t speak. I was standing there cold with a listless stare. Corey Ferretti asked me if I was okay. Another friend, Dominic Lucente, saw the distressed look on my face and motioned to me that I should end the race right now. I struggled to eke out the words, “One more loop” while slowly holding up one finger in the air showing him that I needed to do just one more. He had this incredulous look on his face as if what I was about to attempt could not and should not be attempted. Bob Wisner came over to check on me, for I was standing motionless and with a blank stare on my face. I managed to muster a few words and ask Bob to get me a chocolate protein drink that was on a nearby table. That drink provided me with an extra dose of gas that I desperately needed to complete my sixth loop.

After I downed the protein drink in one breath, I was approaching the fifth hour of the event and ready to jump back onto my bike to complete my sixth and final loop. Boy, it was brutal, but I knew that the end was near which gave me the determination to get it done.

One hour and eight minutes later, I crossed the timing strip to register my sixth loop with less than three minutes before I hit the six-hour mark to end my race. My total elapsed time was 5:57:34 and my moving time was 5:35:38. According to these stats, I had spent a total of 22 minutes eating food and taking rest breaks. I had completed my 52.5 miles and had achieved my six-lap goal. Overall, I had come in 10th place out of 32 participants. I think the fact that I focused on a goal throughout the event helped me to do better than many other participants. If this race had an age-group category, I would have come in first or second place.

I want to give a special shout-out to race photographer Jose Mendez. His amazing photos helped to document a historic event while helping to promote Freshkills Park as a major biking destination well into the future.

Here I am after the race. I was completely drained of energy and full of body aches, but I was satisfied that I competed and that I was able to achieve my goal. The experiment worked.
A special thanks go out to Freshkills Park Program Coordinator Christopher Ricker and Race Director Matt Lebow. This was a perfect partnership at a perfect venue for an event such as this one. Also important to mention is race organizer Michael Schnall. Mark Vogt and Rob Lenza of Complete Race Solutions (completerace.com) timed the event.
This was my favorite photo of the event. It shows a group of ambitious bikers high up on a hill with the changing Fall colors in the background. And there’s race director Matt Lebow holding the mic about to shout out his words of encouragement to get this race started.
I don’t know all of these people, but I do know a number of them. I want to thank Dominic Lucente, Bob Wisner, Raoul Edwards, Paul Reynolds, and Corey Ferretti for cheering me on with each loop I completed. You guys helped push me to reach my goal, and I appreciate that.

The rainbow amidst the storm: How one LGBT member overcame hate by practicing love

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Pride Photo

Members of the Young Democrats of Richmond County and the Pride Center of Staten Island participate in a “Rainbow Run” to support members of the LGBT community who are prohibited each year from marching in the Staten Island St. Patrick’s Day Parade. (March 4, 2018)

Being New Yorkers, one would think that we live in an open-minded society, but they would be wrong.  Even though our City as a whole is generally liberal-minded, diverse, and accepting, there are still those throughout the City with conservative beliefs who choose to practice prejudice and hate over acceptance and love.  Exactly a year ago, I wrote an article and sent it to the local paper, the Staten Island Advance.  Even though it was never published, I felt it necessary to share my story as it relates to one of my gay friends living in Staten Island and his experience running the 2017 Forest Avenue Mile, an annual race that is very popular throughout the Staten Island running community.  Reading his story will help others understand what the gay experience is like in a society that still has a long way to go in accepting others who may be different from you.

Below is the article in it’s entirety.

C’mon Staten Islanders, you’re better than that!
By Josh Pesin

I love Staten Island. I love the people, the communities, and the strong sense of patriotism, volunteerism and charity that permeates throughout all corners of the borough. When the tsunami of 2004 devastated Sri Lanka, Staten Islanders were the single largest donors to help that country. Staten Island is home to many public service workers who leave behind their loved ones every single day to serve and protect the City. Staten Islanders have engaged in grassroots causes from cancer awareness walks to pet adoption events and everything in between. Over the years, the borough has become more culturally diverse. All the new Polish, Albanian, Dominican, Russian, and other cultural businesses that have been popping up throughout the borough can attest to that.

You would think that I have only good things to say about the Island and I wish that were true. Something happened a few weeks ago in a very public way that reared Staten Island’s ugly head and reminded me that the Island is far from idyllic.

My running club, the Staten Island Athletic Club, hosted a one-mile race called The Forest Avenue Mile. This annual event takes place along the same route as the Staten Island St. Patrick’s Day Parade, an event that begins immediately after the ending of the race. With the help of our club president and members who share a common love for running, we make all new members feel welcome including those from the LGBT community whose population has been gradually growing in our club. I am friends with them and I’ve found them to be great people. Upon hearing that the LGBT community was not allowed to march in the Parade yet again, one of our club members, Chris, wore a rainbow-striped race shirt as a form of solidarity during the race. As the race began and the runners went off, Chris ran by throngs of families who were lined up along the Parade route. What happened to Chris during the race can best be summed up by what he posted on a social media site later that day:

“Today I pushed myself to a new height. Today I strived to be better than I was yesterday; better than I was last month; better than I was last year. I was blessed by a crowd of supporters including family, friends, acquaintances, and strangers. Running with my pride on full display for a borough and community that is negligent and hateful towards myself and my community, refusing to allow the LGBT community to march in the parade. Today I heard cheers for me. I saw people beaming with pride about my singlet. I gave people hope, along with my fellow runners with the Young Democrats of Richmond County. Today I heard more jeers than cheers. I heard people screaming pussy. I faintly blocked out the crowd hollering faggot. I didn’t allow the disgusted looks and leering stares deject me from my goals. Today I was me. Today I was freer than I have ever been. More open and vulnerable than I ever considered possible. Today I had more love for myself than I have ever felt before. Swelling with pride, with confidence, with self acceptance. Today I was fearless. To everyone who has followed my journey and continues to support me as I pursue and achieve my goals. As much inspiration as I gain from myself, all your love and support inspires me to be a greater runner and person. Today I was me. Today I was free. And tomorrow I will wake up a better version of myself.”

Chris later told me that people of all ages; children, teens and adults, were chanting gay-related obscenities at him along the route.  Out of the 140 runners who ran the race that day, Chris came in third place. Chris’ race performance and his resolve to overcome prejudice and hate to achieve success reaffirmed my belief that Staten Island can still be a great place to live if only more people embraced diversity like him.